Chromecast has been hacked

Chromecast has been hacked by two friendly hackers, trying to draw attention to security gaps in the popular device.

CastHack is an attack on the popular streaming device Chromecast, performed by two hackers, HackerGiraffe and j3ws3r, in an attempt to display some of its vulnerabilities. The attack was carried out in collaboration with Youtuber PewDiePie. In the attack, the Chromecast was forced to display a message that encourages people to subscribe to PewDiePie’s YouTube channel, writes The Verge .

According to the two hackers, the attack was not carried out as marketing for Youtubere, but instead of demonstrating security holes in Chromecast. On their website you can see how many Chromecast units have been hit by their attacks. Right now the counter stands at a total of 72,341.

Uses security holes in UPnP

CastHack uses a security hole in the UPnP standard, which allows the device to be forced to display images and video. Fortunately, the attack is made by two friendly hackers who have performed it as a demonstration, and there is no harm. But it’s still thoughtful. According to Google, it is a problem with internet routers and the best solution is to turn off Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) in the router’s settings.

If Google itself comes up with a solution to the problem is unclear.

Universal Plug and Play is a feature designed to simplify home networking. It makes it easier to add new devices to the network, such as printers, computers, and not least a Chromecast. The technology can be used on virtually all operating systems and is available in virtually all network devices.